Forecast for the Ogden Area Mountains

Drew Hardesty
Issued by Drew Hardesty on
Saturday morning, November 28, 2020
Even with an overall LOW avalanche danger, avalanches can still be triggered on isolated terrain features today. Look for - and avoid - shallow wind drifts in the upper elevations. They may even crack out above you in steep terrain.
Wet loose sluffs can be expected today on the steepest sunlit slopes by midday.
REMEMBER that getting caught in even a small avalanche could have significant consequences with the risk of hitting a rock, stump, or downed timber.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Weather and Snow
Skies are clear.
Winds are light from the northwest. Both Mt Ogden and James Peak wind stations had moderate to occasionally strong northeast winds through yesterday but they've since lost steam in the overnight hours.
Mountain temperatures are in the mid to upper 20s along the ridgelines, the upper-teens in the basins and at the trailheads.
The Ogden mountains have roughly 12-18" on the ground with highly variable snow surface conditions: sun and wind crust with a settled trace to 2" of Thanksgiving storm snow on the shady aspects.
For today, we'll have sunny skies, moderate northwest wind, and mountain temperatures reaching into the mid to upper 30s.
Tomorrow should be roughly the same ahead of a weak system for Monday night into Tuesday.
Recent Avalanches
We did not hear of any avalanche activity in the Ogden area mountains, though collapsing and cracking of wind drifts were noted high in the Salt Lake area mountains.
Recent observations can be found by clicking here.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Normal Caution
Type
Location
Likelihood
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Description
While the danger is generally LOW, continue to be aware of two things:
1 - Wind Drifts: Shallow pockets of wind drifted snow may still be found in isolated terrain features in the higher elevations. Thanksgiving's low density snow was drifted by the stronger east to northeast winds early Friday morning and isolated drifts may still be sensitive to human provocation.
Remember, cracking and collapsing are clear signs of instability.
2 - Wet Sluffs: With direct sun and daytime warming, shallow wet loose sluffs may be expected on the steepest southerly aspects by midday. Note when the snow becomes damp and unstable and then move to low angle terrain.
ANY involvement in an avalanche is likely to result in traumatic injury due to the thin, early season snow cover.
Additional Information
Weather Outlook: The longer range models do not look particularly good for storms through mid-December.
General Announcements
This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.